Today marks the 20th anniversary of Italy’s victory in the World Cup, which Italy won at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. This was their last triumph in a knockout game on the world stage, prompting us to ask: which current players, if any, could join the squad that celebrated victory in Germany two decades ago?
Italy is honoring the anniversary of the 2006 World Cup final this Thursday, played on July 9.
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The team that lifted the trophy 20 years ago was filled with stars; notable players like Alessandro Del Piero, Pippo Inzaghi, and Alessandro Nesta were relegated to the bench for the final. Marcello Lippi’s preferred lineup included Francesco Totti, Luca Toni, and the formidable center-back duo of Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi.
On July 9, 2006, the Italian players celebrated as Fabio Cannavaro lifted the World Cup trophy following a penalty shootout victory against France in Berlin (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images).
When comparing the lineup from the 2006 final to the current Italian team that faced Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup playoff match in March 2026, it is challenging to argue that any current player would displace those who became world champions 20 years ago.
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Italy’s 2006 World Cup Final Line-up: Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso; Camoranesi, Gattuso, Pirlo, Perrotta; Totti; Toni.
Italy’s 2026 World Cup Play-off Final Line-up: Donnarumma; Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Politano, Barella, Locatelli, Tonali, Dimarco; Kean, Retegui.
Players take a team photo before the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers playoff match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31, 2026, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
Can Gianluigi Donnarumma really be compared to Gianluigi Buffon? What about Sandro Tonali over Andrea Pirlo? Or Riccardo Calafiori compared to Fabio Cannavaro?
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A more reasonable inquiry might be whether any of the current Italy squad could fit into the 23-man roster from 2006, rather than just the starting eleven.
Could there be a case for Donnarumma over backup keeper Marco Amelia? Or perhaps Tonali over Simone Barone?
We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments: do you think any players from the 2026 squad would have made the cut for the 23-man roster back in 2006?
Italy’s 2006 World Cup Squad
On July 9, 2006, Italy’s players and coaching staff celebrated their triumph in the penalty shootout against France at the FIFA World Cup at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
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Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon, Angelo Peruzzi, Marco Amelia.
Defenders: Cristian Zaccardo, Fabio Grosso, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Barzagli, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Massimo Oddo, Marco Materazzi.
Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi, Simone Barone, Simone Perrotta, Andrea Pirlo.
Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero, Luca Toni, Francesco Totti, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Filippo Inzaghi.
Italy’s Most Recent Competitive Squad in 2026
Players of Italy sing the national anthem prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers playoff match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31, 2026, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Carnesecchi, Elia Caprile, Alex Meret.
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni, Alessandro Buongiorno, Riccardo Calafiori, Andrea Cambiaso, Diego Coppola, Federico Dimarco, Federico Gatti, Gianluca Mancini, Marco Palestra, Giorgio Scalvini, Leonardo Spinazzola.
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Davide Frattesi, Manuel Locatelli, Niccolo Pisilli, Sandro Tonali.
Forwards: Federico Chiesa, Francesco Pio Esposito, Moise Kean, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, Gianluca Scamacca.
* The squad listed above was set up ahead of the 2026 World Cup playoff. Italy has since played two friendly matches under interim head coach Silvio Baldini, using a squad primarily composed of U21 players.